Wilhelm liess



2 sheets-sheen 1.

(No Model.)

W. LIESS.

APPARATUS FOR SETTLING AND MOLDING STARGH. No. 275,394. Patented Apr. 10,1883.

. L f 1. 8 as i i i l 2 fa i l 5 5'- L1 v at ' 0 6i jj Fig. 5. f I wifi fm- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. LIESS.

APPARATUS FOR SETTLING ANDMOLDING STARUH;

No. 275,394. v Patented Apr. 10,1883. Fig. 6.

wltnesses. Inventor Starch, of which the following is a specification.

clearly hereinafter shown by reference to the Fig. 4 represents a i UITED STATES WILHELM'LIEss, or BUFFALO, new YORK.

APPARATUS FOR sETTLiNeANo MOLDBNG STARCH.

srncrrrca'rron' forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,394, dated A ril 10, 1883.

' Application filed November 6, 1882. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM LIEss, a citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im provementsin Apparatus for Settling and Molding The object of this invention is to provide an easy and convenient means for settling and molding starch, all of which will be fully and drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation Fig. 2, a front view of one of the starch-block formers. Fig. 3 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus in line X X, Fig. 3, and plan or topview of the box and its operating mechanism; Fig. 5 represeuts a portion of a floor or bottom of a starchbox, showing a modification. Fig. 6 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the box, a vertically-movable floor or bottom, and a modified device for raising or lowering it. Fig.- 7 is a section through a portion of a starchbox, showing also a modification; and Fig. 8 represents a detached sectional elevation of the-valve. I

Arepresents the box, made in the usual way, and held together by tie-rods a (shown in Fig. 1) and cross-bars 08..

B represents a valve in the form of a slidevalve, having a handle, I), to open or close it, and a hand-screw, b, for fastening it at any point desiredor holding it open or closed. The valveB is provided with along vertical opening, I, (see Fig. 8,) made sufiiciently long to reach the level of the water in the box or tank, so that the valve 1 may be moved downward far enough to leave the opening just above the level of the starch when it has settled. If this opening should be below the level of the starch, the water, as it flowed out, would carry a portion of the'starch with it. The object of this construction of the valve is to avoid'this objec- In Fig. 6 1 have shown a modified apparatus consisting of the hydraulic pumps m, to which the usual mechanism is added for giving the necessary pressure for raising orlow ering the floor 0. in some cases the floor 0 may be dispensed with, and a door, it, may be hinged'at one or both 'endsof the box, (see Fig. 7,) in which case the angle-plates G may be set directly on the bottom floor, 0, so that when the starch has settled between them and the water is drawn off and the doors nopened down the blocks of" starch may be taken off and out, one at a time, as before mentioned, without the necessity of raising the floor up.

. 0 represents the movable floor or bottom, adapted to tit closely, and provided on its edges with strips of rubber 0, or other elastic material, to render it as close fitting as practicable and still be capable of being moved up or down, it "being moved down, as before mentioned, so that the angle-plates G may be put in to receive the starch as it settles between them, and when such movable floor is used it should be closely fitted, the object being to prevent, as much as possible, the leakage ot starch through the sides to the bottom 0 of the box. v

0 represents an ordinary check-valve to be used when cleaning out the box A, or for any other purpose.

DD represent two windlasses, which may be constructed in any well-known way for the purpose. To each Windlass is secured a chain, d d", for the purpose of raising the movable floor, to which it is connected by the hooks e to the staples e. The windlasses are fitted in boxes of any-well-known construction, and are each provided with the gearing 0 c and handles f to operate them. On the opposite side of the windlasses are ratchet-wheels f. and pawls f for holding the vertically-movable floor 0 to any point to which it may be adjusted; If desired, hydraulic pumps may be used instead of the gearing, and arranged in any well-known way to raise or lower thefloor C.

The letters G represent a series of angleplates, forming boxes g( to receive the starch. They are each set loosely on the floor O, and are each provided withhandles g. If desired, they may be covered with cloth, as shown by the dotted lines H in Fig. 3.

In operating with my invention the starch- I liquor is put into the box A while the floor G is at its lowest position, and left over nigh or IGO a sufi icient time to settle, by which time the spaces 'g'are filled with starch in a solid, compact condition. The water. is now drawn off by opening the valve B, after which the floor 0, together with the angle-plates Gr, is raised up by the windlasses orot'hereq uivalent means, so that the plates G, each holding a block of starch, as shown in Fig. 1, maybe successively moved off. By thisgnneans the starch is taken out of the machinegwithout the necessity of shoveling and in the form of blocks, which are easily handled and broken up, and a large amountoflabor in the preparation of the starch is saved. When required there may be more or less than the number of windlasses shown, or a greater or less number of the angle-plates G, and in some cases the handlesg may be dis-..

pensed with, if desired. An equivalent for the angle-plates would be a series of removable flat plates set vertically iL cross-grooves in the "floor (3, adapted to receive and hold them in a 'Fig. 5.

' for raising the floor U are attached, are placed on square shafts J, or a round shaft with a feather on it, so that they can move sidewise as the chains are wound up on them.

bination with a series of removableangle;

plates, G, for the purposes described.

2. The within-described process of settling and forming starch into blocks, consisting in placing the starch-liquorrinto a box provided with a series of removable plates or angleplates, and allowing the starch to settle between them until it becomes solid, and then removing the plates and blocks of starch therefrom, substantially as described.

3. A starch-box provided with a verticallyadjustable floor, 0, provided with a rubber packing, a, (or rendering it tight when re-' quired, and a series of removable plates, G, in combination with windlasses adapted for raising the whole vertically, and holding the same at any point of its vertical adjustment by means of the ratchets f and pawlsf subs'tantially as described.

4. In a starch-box, the combination therewith of a valve, B, provided with a long VB! tical opening, I, a vertically-sliding valve, l, having a handle, b, for operating it and a hand-screw, W, for securing it at any point of its vertical adjustment, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

JAMES SANos'rEe J, M, CALDWELL. 

